Jones steps into Johnson's shoes

Receiver Andre Johnson was unable to play because of his high ankle sprain. Jacoby Jones did a reasonable impersonation of Johnson by catching five passes for 115 yards, including a 47-yard reception.

"Those were some big, big shoes to fill," Jones said. "My expectations were to step up and play well, but when you lose, it makes me feel like I didn't play well."

Jones did play well. He made his first catch on the first touchdown drive in the first quarter, an 11-yarder. On the second touchdown drive that gave the Texans a 14-0 lead, he had receptions of 47 and 34 yards.

"The first time I catch a pass, it gives me the confidence that I'm going to do well," Jones said.

Rackers refines high-kicking

Neil Rackers took advantage of the mile-high altitude with field goals of 34, 54 and 57 yards. The 57-yarder was a career best.

Rackers got good snaps from Jon Weeks and excellent holds from Matt Turk.

"I didn't kick in practice all week, so my leg felt fresh, and I had good ball contact," said Rackers, who has been sitting out practice while resting a hamstring injury to his kicking leg. "You always like when your coach asks if you can make it, and you go out and make it."

Terrific Tebow

The Texans knocked out two of Denver's best players, cornerback Champ Bailey and running back Knowshon Moreno, and they still couldn't win. That's because the Broncos had Tim Tebow, who threw for 308 yards and a touchdown and ran for the game-winning touchdown in his second start.

"It was very exciting to win," Tebow said. "Things weren't going well early, but we kept fighting. It was an opportunity to show a lot of determination for this team."

After trailing 17-0 at halftime, Tebow said he was given the opportunity to throw down the field in the second half. The Texans are the worst pass defense in the NFL.

The winning touchdown

Tim Tebow ran for a 6-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner.

"That play was not necessarily called for that coverage," Tebow said. "It was supposed to be something different. They gave us Blitz One instead of Tampa Two, which they had been playing earlier in the game.

"It was kind of like a fake quarterback run, pop pass up the seam to (receiver) Eddie (Royal). That was not a good play for their coverage. As I saw that, I said, 'I have to make a smart play, nothing stupid.'"

Tebow took off for the left corner of the end zone and just made it inside the pylon for the touchdown.

Saint Tim?

Defensive end Antonio Smith was joking during the week about how conflicted he was about smacking Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow, whose reputation for upstanding behavior long preceded him to the NFL.

"He's a saint," Smith said, laughing.

But Smith wasn't making fun of Tebow Sunday after he'd rallied the Broncos from 17 points down for a 24-23 victory.

"He plays with heart," Smith observed. "That's how I play and I love a player that plays like that. He didn't give up even though we was tagging him. We got hits on him, but he'd get up and keep fighting. ... You can't do nothing but give him respect for that."

Strong safety Bernard Pollard said of Tebow: "The guys a competitor. ...I take my hat off to him. He rallied that team. The coaches did a great job of game-planning for him. He beat us with his arm and his leg."

Quin puzzled

Covering Eddie Royal in the end zone, cornerback Glover Quin was flagged for a costly pass-interference penalty just before the Broncos took the lead. So an apparent incompletion turned into a first down at the Texans one.

"I honestly don't know what (the official) called," Quin said. "I was running with the dude (Royal), I undercut him and they threw the ball out of bounds. I'll have to see the play because I don't know what (the official) saw."

Texans-Jaguars game time changed

Kickoff for the Week 17 Jacksonville at Houston game has been pushed back to 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2 because of flex scheduling and will be televised on CBS.

Cowher denies wishing ill on coaches

Following a report that the Texans and two other teams were atop his coaching wish list, Bill Cowher said Sunday he is insulted by the implication he wants someone to be fired.

"Let me say this, for anyone to insinuate that I have a wish list of coaches to be fired at this time of the year, I have too much respect for the profession," Cowher said during CBS Sports' "The NFL Today." "I know how hard it is. I don't wish for anybody to be fired."

ESPN's Chris Mortenson last week cited a source close to Cowher saying the Texans, the Dolphins and the Giants would be the top prospects if any of those teams make a coaching change after the season. Cowher said earlier this month during a USA Today chat that he is open to listen to coaching opportunities.